I first heard about Wicked Fox by Kat Cho this spring. From the title, I thought “meh” but then I saw that cover. Then I knew I had to read that book. I was fortunate enough to get an Advanced Reader Copy through Bookish First — I’ve had a lot of good luck with them recently and have started to love them. The book was amazing! I’ll be sharing this book with my daughter.
Jihoon is a teenage slacker in the equivalent of his junior year of high school (I’m just going to dispense with last names and name suffixes for purposes of this review, even though they’re in the book). Miyoung is also a teenager, but she has a secret: she’s half gumiho, which is like a Japanese kitsune or a Ninetails in Pokémon. This story takes place in modern-day Seoul, Korea, so the mythology is a little different.
We discover early on that Miyoung is not your average gumiho: these creatures are immortal, but they have to feed off of the gi, or energy, of unsuspecting humans once a month in order to live. Miyoung always tries to find the dregs of society to feed off of; she doesn’t want to harm the innocent. When Jihoon discovers her secret, she doesn’t destroy him; she asks him to keep her dangerous secret. When she shows up at his school, things could get a little bit awkward. Jihoon tries to strike up a friendship with her, but she tries to push him away.
Like any good story, that isn’t the end. Miyoung’s life is in danger, and Jihoon might become collateral damage. Dun dun dun! You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens.
What I Liked
I liked a lot of things about this book. One of the things I love about it is the setting. I’ve read several books in the last year that take place in a fantastic place inspired by medieval Japan or China, but nothing that took place in Korea. The book immersed me in this world: the food, the clothes, the way people address each other. I’m a student of history and a little bit of archaeology, so I appreciated some of the details that matched up with some of the history books and archaological magazines that addressed this culture.
The characters were great too. Jihoon didn’t live in this bubble where he finally popped into life when he met Miyoung. He has friends and family members, and not all of it is good. Miyoung also has a family history, and you can’t help but dislike her mother. Towards the end of the book, you discover that not everything is as it seems.
The book also has a great theme of abandonment by family members, and how it can affect you. Both Jihoon and Miyoung have complicated histories with their families, and it affects how they relate to the people around them. I thought it was well done.
What I Liked Less
I loved almost everything about Wicked Fox, but if I’m going to get nitpicky, there’s a part towards the end of the book where Jihoon has health problems and he has to pay the rent from his own labor and go to school… it seems a little unrealistic. But this is really nitpicky; I loved the writing style and I just saw this as a minor plot hole.
Conclusion
Should you read Wicked Fox? Absolutely! This book is great if you like contemporary fantasies, enjoy books set in Asia, and like books that are light in the romance department. There really aren’t any scenes that are objectionable for younger YA readers.
The book winds up nicely, but there is room for another book in the series. A second book is planned, and I already added it to my TBR.
Wicked Fox will be released on June 25th, but you can pre-order it now.